“650,000 Russians Have Fled Abroad Since The Start Of The War”

Most of them have immigrated to Armenia, Kazakhstan and Israel according to independent news website The Bell

According to statistical data at least 650,000 Russians have emigrated permanently abroad since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, according to independent news website The Bell. Most of them have immigrated to Armenia (110,000), Kazakhstan and Israel (80,000), according to the publication. Russians do not need a visa to enter these countries. Germany is also a popular destination for Russian immigrants, with an increase of more than 36,000 people compared to the period before the start of the war.

There is no official information from Moscow on the number of Russians who have left the country.

The Bell website reports that the calculations are based on data from authorities responsible for managing migration flows. In total, data from more than 70 countries were included in the calculation, and recently issued residence permits and asylum applications were taken into account.

However, the publication emphasizes that the data is not complete, as some countries popular with Russians such as Thailand, Azerbaijan and Cyprus have not shared the relevant data with the researchers .

Russians who moved to other countries after the start of the war, such as the United Arab Emirates, were not included in the calculation.

The Russians who emigrated are likely to include not only critics of the Russian invasion, but also many who wish to circumvent sanctions because of their activities.

The number of Russians who have fled to Europe is relatively low, in part because the E.U. quickly closed the borders to Russia.

Conscientious objection to conscription alone is not considered grounds for granting political asylum.

Of the EU countries, only Spain (+16,000) and Germany are among the top 10 destination countries for Russian immigrants.Unmute

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With information from APE-MPE

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Benjamin Wallace-Wells

Benjamin Wallace-Wells is a staff writer at the The New Yorker since 2006. He worked for New York magazine, the Times Magazine, and Rolling Stone.

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